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(Huntsville, AL) – Huntsville is filled with curiosities – works of public art, architecture with fascinating backstories, even a set of astronaut footprints in the sidewalk downtown. Iconic areas like the downtown square, Big Spring International Park, Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment, and many more are home to these “not so hidden gems,” and the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) is rolling out a new project designed to help locals and visitors alike learn more about these points of interest that make the Rocket City so unique.

Aptly named the You Are Here project, the concept takes a playful approach to using placemaking signage to highlight 16 locations throughout Huntsville that all possess an intriguing fact about their creation or connection to the community.

At all 16 stops, signage featuring a push pin (inspired by the commonly used symbol to denote location) will alert passersby to a nearby object. Visitors can then read a description of the item - more specifically, an explanation of why that item is unique to the Rocket City.

All signs are affixed to structures via nonpermanent adhesive throughout Huntsville. The You Are Here project is a free, self-guided activity and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The 16 items included in the campaign cover a range of topics and vary in their relationships to the area.

Just a few of the You Are Here push pin locations include a Lucky Duck Scavenger Hunt duck, an unexpected Japanese Tea Garden on Monte Sano Mountain, and the footprints of famed astronaut Alan Shepard in the sidewalk outside of Alabama Constitution Village.

“This is it – the spot where Alabama became a state. But wait, there’s more! Turn around and walk a few steps to find where the first American in space, Admiral Alan B. Shepard, Jr., left his mark on Huntsville,” reads the sign near the illustrious footprints.

“Part of what makes Huntsville unique as a visitor destination is the fact that our innovation and creativity is woven into so many different facets of our community,” said Judy Ryals, President/CEO of the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Anywhere people may explore throughout the city, it’s likely they will come across something distinctly Huntsville, whether it’s a piece of art, a piece of our history, or something else that completely immerses them in our culture.”

To foster curiosity and encourage a deeper exploration of the city, each push pin leads to another, creating an interconnecting web of little-known Huntsville facts.

The idea for the project came in preparation for TBEX (Travel Blog Exchange), an international travel media conference being hosted in Huntsville, May 4-6.

“There are so many unique things in our community that I wanted to ensure the TBEX attendees were aware of,” said Leslie Walker, Convention Sales Manager for the CVB. “Then I realized that many of our locals may not be familiar with these places, and they would enjoy learning about them as much as visitors and conference attendees would.” Walker spearheaded the efforts to bring TBEX to Huntsville.

Included on each push pin is the URL to the You Are Here landing page on huntsville.org, where visitors can access the full list of You Are Here push pin locations, additional information on each stop and links to partner websites. A map of all You Are Here stops is also available on the website for both digital viewing and download.

The Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) is a non-profit 501(c)(6) organization which was developed in 1970 to create economic growth for Huntsville/Madison County by marketing the community as a top-of-mind convention and visitor destination. As the official city/county agency which promotes the area as a tourist destination and convention site, the CVB works with an array of hospitality industry partners to market our destination to visitors of all types.